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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ficult, or impossible, to recognize in the smaller retail cuts. When the carcass is graded, a purple How it Buy shield-shaped grademark containing the letters USDA and the grade name-such as Prime, Choice, or Good—is applied with a roller-stamp. BEEF The grade shield is rolled on, in a long ribbon-like imprint, all along the length of the carcass and USDA across both shoulders. Then when the carcass is STEAKS CHOICE divided into retail cuts, one or more of the grade- marks will appear on most of these cuts. Only which has first passed a strict in- spection for wholesomeness may be graded. So A tender, juicy is a mealtime favorite of you may be sure when you see the grademark millions of Americans. To make sure that your that the meat came from a healthy animal and steak will be tender and juicy, you need to know was processed in a sanitary plant. something about both buying the beef and cook- ing it. Many different cuts of beef are called "steaks" —and any one of these cuts can vary in quality, depending upon the kind of carcass from which it came. But all are nutritious and all can pro- Inspection for vide good eating if properly prepared. The secret lies in suiting the cooking method to the grade Wholesomeness and the cut you select. All meat processed in plants which sell their products across State lines must, under Federal About Beef Quality law, be inspected for wholesomeness. This serv- Beef varies in quality more than any other ice is another provided by USDA's Consumer and kind of meat. But you don't have to learn to Marketing Service. USDA meat inspectors also judge beef quality for yourself. USDA grades supervise the cleanliness and operating proce- are a reliable guide to meat quality-its tender- dures of meat packing plants to assure that meat ness, juiciness, and flavor. The grades are based is not contaminated or adulterated. on nationally uniform Federal standards of qual- Meat which passes the USDA inspection for ity and are applied by USDA graders. Therefore, wholesomeness is stamped with a round mark you can be sure that a USDA Choice porterhouse which bears the legend "U.S. INSP'D & P'S'D." steak, for example, will provide the same good This mark is placed only once on wholesale cuts. eating no matter where or when you buy it. So you are likely to see it only on large cuts of meat—seldom on steaks. Packaged meat foods, How Beef is Graded however, such as frozen dinners and canned Meat grading is a voluntary service provided by , are required to carry the inspection mark USDA's Consumer and Marketing Service to meat on the label if they are to be sold in interstate packers and others who request it and pay a fee commerce. for the service. So not all meat is graded, al- Learn to recognize both the inspection mark- though a large percentage of it is. a circle—and the grademark—a shield. Remember USDA graders, who are highly trained in meat they mean different things. The inspection mark quality, grade only whole carcasses or wholesale tells you that the meat is clean and wholesome. cuts. This is because quality differences are dif- The grademark tells you the quality of the meat. LOOK FOR THE GRADE USDA GOOD Good grade beef often Each USDA beef grade is a measure of a dis- pleases thrifty shoppers tinct level of quality. Because beef can vary so because it is somewhat much in quality, it takes eight grades to span the more lean than the higher range. The three lowest grades-USDA Utility, grades. It is relatively Cutter, and Canner— are seldom, if ever, sold as tender, but because it has retail cuts. They go mostly into or less marbling it lacks into processed meat items such as hot dogs. some of the juiciness and The grade most widely sold at retail is USDA flavor of the higher Choice. It is produced in the greatest volume and grades. Some stores sell retailers have found that this level of quality this quality of beef under pleases most of their customers. Some stores, a "house" brand name however, offer two grades-for example. Prime rather than under the and Choice or Choice and Standard-so that their USDA grade name. customers may have a choice of quality and price. Pictured below are porterhouse steaks in each USDA STANDARD of the first five grades, together with a descrip- Standard grade beef has tion of the level of quality that can be expected a high proportion of lean in each of those grades. meat and very little fat. Because it comes from young animals, beef of this grade is fairly tender. But because it lacks USDA PRIME marbling, it is mild in flavor and most cuts will Prime grade beef is the be somewhat dry unless ultimate in tenderness, prepared with moist heat. juiciness, and flavor. It has abundant marbling— USDA COMMERCIAL flecks of fat within the Commercial grade beef is lean —which enhances produced only from ma- both flavor and juiciness. ture animals-the top four Steaks of this grade are grades are restricted to the best for broiling. young animals. It has abundant marbling (com- pare it with the Prime grade above), and will USDA CHOICE have the rich, full flavor Most USDA Choice steaks characteristic of mature are good for broiling and beef. However, Commer- pan-broiling, too — they cial grade beef requires will be very tender, juicy, long, slow cooking with and flavorful. Choice moist heat to make it grade beef has slightly tender. When prepared in less marbling than Prime, this manner it can pro- but still is of very high vide delicious and eco- quality. nomical meat dishes. LOOK FOR THE CUT Regardless of their quality grade, some cuts of beef are naturally more tender than others. Cuts TENDERLOIN (FILET from the less-used muscles along the back of the MIGNON)-The most ten- animal—the rib and sections—will always be der of all steaks, the ten- more tender than those from the active muscles derloin has no bone and such as the shoulder (chuck), flank, and round. very little fat. Broil or The most tender cuts make up only a small pan-broil it in all grades. proportion of the beef carcass-and they are in Allow about 6 to 8 ounces greatest demand. Therefore, they command a per person. higher price than other cuts. Names given beef cuts sometimes vary from store to store and in different parts of the coun- try. It would be impossible to list all of the varia- tions here. Moreover, the same name may mean PORTERHOUSE - Often different things in different parts of the country. considered the best steak, For example, a "Delmonico" steak is cut from the porterhouse usually the ribeye in some parts of the country, while in sells at a higher price other areas it is cut from the chuck. than other bone-in steaks. It has a generous section Chuck cuts probably get more variation in of tenderloin, which can terminology than any other. Some names be removed and served "coined" for steaks cut from the chuck and used separately as . in various parts of the country include California, Broil or pan-broil in Western, Cheyenne, petite butter, finger, break- Prime, Choice, and Good fast, his 'n hers-and there are many more. grades. Porterhouse is a The best guide in identifying beef cuts is the good steak for special oc- standard terminology shown in the following casions—and for such pages and generally recognized throughout the events allow 12 to 16 meat industry. Many stores, fortunately, do em- ounces per person. ploy these terms in identifying the meat cuts they sell. The kind of bone in a cut also helps in iden- tifying it. The T-bone and rib bone, for example, indicate tender cuts, while a round bone, such as T-BONE-Very similar to in the arm chuck, means a less tender cut. r the porterhouse steak, but Along with the illustrations on the following with a smaller amount of pages of the most widely sold and widely known tenderloin, the T-bone steaks are suggested cooking methods for these can be used in the same cuts in various grades and approximate amounts fashion. Broil or pan-broil you'll need to buy per serving. it in Prime, Choice, and For greatest eating satisfaction, buy any steak Good grades. For gener- you intend to broil at least one inch thick. For ous servings, allow 12 to example, if you like medium-rare steak, you'll 16 ounces per person. find it difficult to achieve this degree of "done- ness" with a thin steak. BEEF CHART

® Blade ® Pin Bone ® ® Pot-roast or Steak Standing Rump

(D Porterhouse Steak Top Round Steak @ Arm Pot-roast or Steak ® Flat Bone © Steak Round Strip Loin Steak @ Sirloin Steak Tip Steak t *^ @(D Rib Eye Filet Mignon ® Eye Roast or Steak Tenderloin Steak of Round (also from Sirloin 1,2,3) (D Wedge Bone Roost or (D Stew Meat or > 0 ® Stew Meat or Sirloin Steak Steak Ground Meat ® Ground Meat m Heel of Round CHUCK Rll LOIN END ROUND

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CLUB STEAK-The club steak, like the porter- SIRLOIN-The sirloin is a large steak, which house and the T-bone, is cut from the short loin. makes it suitable for family or party fare. It con- It has the same large muscle as the porterhouse tains several different muscles and varies in size, and the T-bone, but has no tenderloin. Its rela- shape, and bone size. To get the most for your tively small size makes this steak well suited to money, look for one with a small amount of bone individual servings. Allow 12 to 14 ounces per (wedge or round bone); but for maximum tender- person. Rib steaks are often sold as club steaks ness, pick out a sirloin with a long, flat bone. since they, too, contain the same large muscle. Sirloins are frequently cut into two boneless steaks- and bottom sirloin. The top sirloin is the better of the two. Broil or pan-broil in Prime, Choice, and Good grades; braise in lower grades. For bone-in sirloins allow 8 to 10 ounces per person depending on amount of bone.

STRIP LOIN STEAK-This steak is the same as the large muscle in both the porterhouse and the T-bone. It is a very flavorful, tender steak which may be broiled or pan-broiled in the Prime, Choice, and Good grades. Allow 12 to 14 ounces per person. This steak is also sold boneless- SIRLOIN TIP-This is a boneless steak, less in which case, allow 10 to 12 ounces per person. tender than the regular sirloin. Can be broiled The strip loin steak is often sold in restaurants or pan-broiled in Prime and Choice grades. Braise as a New York or a Kansas City steak. in lower grades. Allow 6 to 8 ounces per person.

10 11 iit RIB-This steak is cut from the rib section, and includes tiie rib bone, it is sold as rib roast when cut two or more ribs thick. It has a well-developed flavor and is very tender; broil or pan-broil in Prime, Choice, and Good grades. Allow 12 to 14 RIBEYE—Cut from the eye of beef rib, this steak ounces per person. Often called a club steak. is boneless, and has little fat. Like the , it has a well-developed flavor and is very tender. Broil or pan-broil in Prime, Choice, and Good grades. Allow 8 to 10 ounces per person. The ribeye steak is often called a .

BLADE CHUCK-This is an economical steak, with a well-developed flavor, but it varies in tenderness. The "first cut" of blade chuck (shown in the picture) is the one adjacent to the rib roast and contains a sizable extension of the ribeye muscle-identified in the picture by the number "1". In the Prime, Choice, and Good grades, this portion may be cut out and broiled-it will make a delicious and tender steak. Other sections of this cut are definitely less tender and should be ARM CHUCK-Sold as steak in some stores, this cooked with moist heat (braised), as should Prime cut is best used as or braised. It is and Choice chuck steaks which are not "first definitely a less-tender cut, but it has a well- cuts" and all lower grades of chuck steaks. Allow developed flavor, it can be identified by the about 10 to 12 ounces per serving. Stores some- round arm bone. It has very little waste; allow times cut small boneless steaks from the blade about 6 to 8 ounces per person. Also called: chuck region and give them varied names. Arm steak.

12 13 r

b. bottom round-not as tender as top; cook with moist heat in all grades. Also called outside round, bottom round is often sold with the eye-of-the-round attached.

ROUND-Because it has very little waste, the c. eye-of-round-also a round steak is usually an economical buy. It is less tender cut, but when not as flavorful and juicy as some of the other sliced thin. Prime and steaks because it lacks marbling. The full round Choice grades can be contains three muscles which vary in tenderness. pan-broiled; cook with It can be divided as shown. moist heat in other grades. Allow about 6 to 8 ounces per person for any of these round steaks.

FLANK—Boneless steak,with very little fat. Defi- nitely a less-tender cut, but it has a well-devel- a. top round-the tenderest of the three muscles, oped flavor. Braise, cook with moist heat, in any can be broiled or pan-broiled in Prime and Choice grade. Allow 6 to 8 ounces per person. Many grades; braise the lower grades. restaurants list on the menu as Also called inside round. "."

14 15 USDA Grades Help Vbu Choose BEEF STEAKS

LOOK FOR THE GRADE

lUSDA PRIME # U.S. Prime-Highest quality, most tender, juicy, flavorful

' U.S. Choice-Most popular quality, very tender, juicy, flavorful

• U.S. Good—Lean, fairly tender, not lUSDAi as juicy and flavorful CHOICE

LOOK FOR THE CUT

lUSDAi GDDD I Most tender-rib steaks, tenderloin, porterhouse, T-bone, strip loin, club, sirloin steaks.

iModerately tender-blade chuck, round steaks

Least tender-arm chuck, flank Ali". -'^fl steaks

GPO : 1968 0—288-517

i"H-rj CONSUMER AND MARKETING SERVICE HOME AND GARDEN BULLETIN NO. 145 February 1968